Bubba Watson says he was forced to escape the glare of the spotlight following his Masters win in a bid to save himself from becoming a one-major wonder.

The big-hitting left-hander, who claimed the first major of his career at Augusta last year, has failed to win another tournament since, but insists his break from the limelight has been a conscious decision to refocus his goals.

Watson said: ‘As soon as I won I sought out some players that have won recently.

‘I sought out Graeme McDowell, (Rory) McIlroy, asked Tiger (Woods), asked some big-name players that have won (like) Charl Schwartzel. I asked, how do you deal with it, because the first three months to the first six months, your sponsors, media, you get more attention.

‘You’ve got more fans and so you get away from the game of golf. Golf is the last thing on anybody’s mind but you still have to keep executing.

‘I tried to get out of that situation fast, and it helped me too that I had my child; we had adopted our son Caleb so I spent a few months with him. I missed a couple of tournaments that I normally play in and I got to relax, reset, refocus.

‘I missed my first two cuts after my long layoff, but then I finished second again right after that.’

One of those missed cuts came in the US Open, but Watson proved he had the appetite for more major success by finishing 23rd in The Open and 11th in the US PGA Championship later that year.